Image by david.nikonvscanon

I could make some terrible pun such as “fly on over to sparkleandglitter.co.uk” but the truth is I just liked the photo! This site is no more! Please update your bookmarks, feed-readers etc. to http://www.sparkleandglitter.co.uk and welcome to the new site! WordPress.com has been great, but having my own hosting and domain is awesome! Thank you all for sticking with me!

Happy Thursday! Next week is a two-day week for me and probably many others, and next Thursday I will undoubtedly be loving champagne, presents and bad TV but for now I’m still at work wishing it was Xmas already!

This week I am particularly loving:

* Planning the new version of Sparkle and Glitter! I’ve already met with some teething problems (anyone who self-hosts a WordPress blog, who is your hosting provider?) but the ideas are all there and I’m sure I’ll get the technical side of things sorted soon.

* The relief of getting all my Xmas shopping done – it’s a big relief, and most of it has been delivered to my parents’ house, so I don’t even have to carry it!

* Sleeping -  I appear to be doing far more of it this week than I usually do, but it’s so good! It’s just a shame when I have to get up for work and I’m so warm and comfy I really don’t want to move!

* The end of year wind-down at work – everyone seems to be cheering up, working less and generally being in a much better mood as the end of the year approaches. Even the boss is joining in! It really is quite marvellous being offered tea every half hour or so!

* Simon’s Cat – Old news, but it still makes me laugh so much!  Just in case you haven’t seen it yet:

* Finding Time to Relax – It’s not something I do enough of, but I really gave myself the chance to recharge last weekend, and it was exactly what I needed.

* The Secret Society of List Addicts - Yep, that’s the third time I’ve mentioned them this week but really, I love this project! It’s so much fun, and now that I’ve worked out my differences with Blogger (having barely ever used it previously, it’s differences from WordPress were enough to momentarily confuse me completely!) I’m totally addicted to posting my lists there!

* Mulled Wine – it’s fabulous! Xmas in a glass (or mug!)

* Movies! –  Re-watching old favourites – Amelie, To Kill a Mockingbird, Breakfast at Tiffanys – to finally seeing films I should probably have watched ages ago – Stardust – I’ve been enjoying some quality time with a TV screen and a mug of hot chocolate this week!

I hope you’ve all had a great week and thank you for putting up with my multitude of admin and plan posts! How has your life sparkled this week?

Anyone whose blog I’ve commented on at any point need not worry, you’re already in my feed so you’ll automatically be included, but if I leave you out when the new site is launched, do let me know!

Image by brandi666

Who and where do you get your inspiration from?

With all my recent talk of grand plans for the future of this blog, I thought I would share mine. It comes, deep down, from a desire to write that I have held since I was very young. I, and I’m sure many others who read this, have always wanted to be a published author (it seems many hold this desire, if the responses to the last couple of posts on The Secret Society of List Addicts are anything to go by!). I have been reading various blogs for years, but it was only really when I started reading iCiNGby the amazing Gala Darling that I really started to see blogs as a platform for my own writing. Gala was my first blogging inspiration.

That was all this blog was originally intended to be – a place where I can publish my writing and if a few people see it and comment with some encouraging words, all the better. I became a little addicted however, when I saw the traffic numbers creeping up slowly, and every kindly comment made me smile a little more. A blogging addict was most definitely born!

My inspiration to carry on and really “make a go of it” came from the amazing community of bloggers I “met” when exchanging comments. Seriously, you are all fabulous! As a blog-reader although I saw all the lovely comments left, I really didn’t appreciate the level of interaction and support amongst the blogging community, but I’m loving every moment I’m a part of it!

 Image by aussiegall

Huge love to you all!

The inspiration to write on particular topics comes from all over the place! Sometimes from posts other bloggers have made, where I feel I can expand upon a topic or take it in another direction (you’ll most likely have noticed these as I always credit the original poster when I take inspiration from their writing), but more often simply from my own life. I don’t think I could call myself an expert in anything, but I’ve had enough life experience that I feel I can advise on some topics and empathise on others. Sharing my opinions has never been something I’ve found difficult (just ask my mother – apparently as soon as I could string a sentence together I was rather an opinionated child) so really, I’m amazed the notion to blog didn’t come to me sooner!

Inspiration can come from anywhere and I’m forever reading, watching TV or just having an ordinary conversation and something I read or hear will capture my attention and an idea will start to form. My notebooks fill up rapidly with scribbles and snippets of information many of which remain scribbles forever, but some of which become posts and articles I’m proud of.

You are all my inspiration, your comments inspire me to continue writing even when a flicker of self-doubt enters my mind. Where do you find yours?

This is just a quick post with a few admin announcements! This evening, I have been domain-shopping and as of sometime in the next 24 hours, http://www.sparkleandglitter.co.uk will point to this blog. It will exist in it’s current form for a few weeks whilst the new look is designed, then I will be moving the site to it’s own hosting!

Exciting times!

It comes at a cost however, so I have decided that I’m going to bite the bullet and put a few ads on the blog. I never intended to at the start, but I had no idea how great this project would become and financial considerations such as hosting never occurred to me – I didn’t expect it to become this big! I will however, try to keep the ad presence as minimal and unobtrusive as possible.

Thanks to the wonderful blogging community this has been an amazing few months. Here’s to an equally fabulous future! Sorry for the spate of admin posts today, normal service will resume tomorrow!

Image by SuperFantastic

Firstly a quick note to say thank you for all the feedback on the last post! I intend to use the Xmas break to do a lot of planning for this blog, and all your suggestions will go a long way to helping me plan regular posts, new content ideas, etc. Here’s a few general replies to some points raised:

* My own photos – I’m one of those people who, when they lose something, will search relentlessly for it, even when all hope of finding it seems lost. Hence, I have been searching for my battery charger for months now! A new one is now on my shopping list, so I’ll be able to use my camera shortly! I actually have several ideas for photo-heavy posts that I am quite excited about!

*  A sparkly template – this will probably come when I transfer the blog to a domain, as I will then be able to use 3rd party templates, my CSS skills aren’t really up to much anymore! I may change to one with a banner graphic in the meantime however, if I manage to create a banner I like!

* Those of you who kindly agreed to answer some questions, an interview is being prepared and will be on it’s way to you before next week!

For now, here’s another meme that quite a lot of the bloggers I read have already filled in, and I really enjoyed reading the answers to!

4 Things I did Today (well, yesterday)

1. Started making plans for next year, both for this blog and life in general

2. Did two of the three consolidation exercises I need to do for my course and email in tomorrow, and surprised myself with how much I knew.

3. Ate a really good chili cooked by the boy whilst watching In Bruges and reading blogs.

4.  Began to sort out my possessions for the big clear-out I’m undertaking – I own a lot of superfluous clutter!

4 Things on my To-do List

1.  Book train tickets for Xmas eve, travelling to my parents’ house the evening of the 24th is not going to be fun, especially getting across London at the same time as everyone else!

2.  Finish my washing and actually put it away for once instead of leaving it in neatly-folded piles until I want to wear it.

3. Do the other consolidation exercise and email them all to the college.

4. Start working on a few posts so that I’m ahead of myself before leaving Loughborough in case I don’t have much time to write when I’m in Kent.

4 Guilty Pleasures

1.  Baklava – I can eat boxes of the stuff in minutes!

2. Pretty much anything from the Marks and Spencers food shop – wine, sushi and party food in particular! If I could afford it, I’d do all my grocery shopping there!

3. Trashy magazines – Anything from “REAL LIFE STORIES!” stuff to celebrity gossip, I spend my lunchtimes at work gleefully reading the kind of publications I would never spend money on, but really enjoy reading when they’re there for free!

4.  Spending ridiculous amounts of time in the shower, I dread to think how much of our gas bill this contributes to, but I love taking my time, relaxing with various delicious-smelling products and planning my day.

4 Random facts about Me

1.  I’m only 5’1, but because of my Scoliosis I wear tall length jeans and petite tops! I say I’m disproportionate, my other half tells me I’m “anime-proportioned” (but for that I think I’d have to have a far smaller waist first!)

2. I love books, but I seem to buy them quicker than I get around to reading them, especially with all the extra stuff I have to read for my course! My “to read” pile is always growing!

3. I hoard EVERYTHING! I really hate throwing things away, but I also hate clutter, so I’m forever driving myself crazy with the amount of stuff I have!

4. I find thinking of new interesting facts about myself really difficult!

Bloggers that I’m tagging

I would tag, but I think most people have probably filled this one in already, so I shall refrain for now. (Next time I’ll fill it in a little earlier!)

Image by Jsome1

 This little blog is growing up, so it’s about time I asked everyone for a bit of feedback! I’ve been looking at the stats, comments, etc. analysing what articles have been most popular etc. in the hope of starting 2009 with a bang! So here’s where you come in! Please let me know:

What you liked?

What you thought was perhaps less successful?

What would you like to see more of?

How can I improve the general “feel” of the blog?

Also, please let me know if you would be willing to let me interview you! I’m not looking for Internet superstars here (though if any want to participate, please let me know!) just ordinary bloggers and blog readers who would be willing to answer a few questions. If you would like to participate, please email me (sparkleandglitter[at]rocketmail.com) or leave a comment with your email address. Some interviews will be published in full, others will form parts of a larger article, but everyone who participates will of course get their blog / website credited in the post.

Coming soon: Post-Xmas Recovery Tips, The Sparkle Guide to Surviving the Sales, and New Years Resolutions Everyone Should Make!

NB: Edited to add, at the moment I’m collecting details for the interviews, the questions are not yet finalised. You will receive an email in the next couple of weeks and the replies will be posted over the following few weeks! (So basically, if you don’t receive anything from me immediately, don’t worry, you will hear from me soon!)

Image by mandj98

This week’s roundup is a little late – much of my time has been taken up with last-minute Xmas shopping! There have been some amazing posts this week, so sit back with a cup of coffee (or a glass of mulled wine) and enjoy!

* For those of you organising Christmas or New Years parties, Angela has a guide on ”How to plan a successful event” so you can ensure you have everything under control.

* Starting your New Years fitness regime early? Erin‘s “Fun ways to get fabulously fit” is what you need! Find an enjoyable way to exercise and it’s not a chore!

* Feeling a little poor after this year’s Christmas shopping? Doe Deere has a brilliant article on “Keeping positive during the recession” a must-read for anyone right now!

* Follow that article up with Pony‘s “Things to do that don’t cost much” and you’re all set to have a great time no matter what the financial system’s doing!

* Coop‘s “Secrets of a Morning Person” has been a bit of a revelation to me! Following the advice has certainly helped me get up and go on workdays, so I’m sure it’ll be useful to others too!

* If you’ve had a long trip abroad or a gap year and now you’re stuck in the real world again, you need to read Sarah‘s brilliant article on “dealing with the “real world” after a vacation“.

* Sadly, Gem has stopped posting her novel online now, (though not sadly for her, as she’s trying to get it published and from what I’ve read so far, I really think she’s in with a great chance!) so instead she’s posted a beautiful short story which I really enjoyed!

* Smaggle‘s “When you were 14 years old…” fashion article made me giggle and reminisce about the sartorial disasters of my youth!

Have a lovely Friday and a brilliant weekend! If you’re getting your last-minute shopping done, good luck! If you’ve already done it all, congratulations, now it’s time to relax!

xx

Image by Sunshinecity

It is my great pleasure to announce that I have been asked to be part of a fabulous new blog: The Secret Society of List Addicts which has been launched today!  The brainchild of Bridey and also featuring the fabulous ladies Chrissy and Sarah, this blog promises to be a haven for anyone as addicted to list-writing as we are!

The first post is about secrets, so if you like finding out about other people you won’t be disappointed!

*shivers* It’s been a cold week so far, and I’m looking forward to a weekend of relaxation in the warmth with some good movies, hot drinks and catch up on all the sleep I’ve missed! Aside from the chills though, this week has had it’s good bits!

* Being invited to participate in a fabulous blog project, which will get it’s own official announcement shortly! I was sitting in a hotel room when I read the email and I think I must have confused the people staying either side of me when I squealed loudly with delight and excitement!

* Cake, chocolate and other delicious things being brought into work to celebrate birthdays, Xmas and various other occasions! It certainly makes the day sparkle a little!

* Presents! OK, I’m over buying presents for other people now, I’m getting excited over mine arriving! There’s a pile of gifts from the boy’s parents in the living room and I can’t wait to open them!

* Finally being organised about Xmas – I think I have most things ordered and sorted now!

* Planning the year ahead – This year I intend to make resolutions and stick to them, for the first time ever! I’ll post them here so that I can’t go back on them!

* Making jewellery again- I’d abandoned it for a while but I’ve had a few moments spare to start creating sparkly wearables again recently!

What’s made your week sparkle?